Mounting pin



y 2, 1967 M. D. DIXON 3,316,794

MOUNTING PIN Filed Aug. 23, 1965 INVENTOR.

F 5 MAX 0. DIXON United States Patent 3,316,794 MOUNTING PIN Max D. Dixon, 125 N. Main St., Miami, Okla. 74354 Filed Aug. 23, I965, Ser. No. 481,615 4 Claims. (CI. 85-49) My invention is directed toward mounting pins for detachably securing flowers and floral arrangemens, metal and wood easels to plastic foam.

It is an object of my invention to provide new and improved mounting pins which when inserted into plastic foam to secure flowers and/ or floral arrangements thereto will not be dislodged therefrom accidentally.

Another object is to provide new and improved mounting pins for attaching wood or metal easels by straddling the easel then inserting into plastic foam.

Still another object is to provide new and improved mounting pins of the character indicated which can be manufactured easily and inexpensively.

All of the foregoing and still further objects and advantages of my invention will now be explained with reference both to this specification and to the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a top view thereof;

FIG. 4 is an end view thereof;

FIG. 5 is a side view of my invention in operative use; and

FIG. 6 is a invention.

perspective view of one form of my perspective view of a modification of my Referring now to FIGS. 1-4, there is shown a pin.

identified generally at 10 and provided with first and second elongated vertical pieces of wood 12 and 14, each terminating at its lower end at a point 16, one side 18 of the point being tapered, the remaining three sides being vertical. The tapered side of each point can face away from the other point depending on how an operator picks up the sticks and inserts them into a machine which attaches a metal or plastic top cross section which is described below. Each wood piece or member has a square cross section. The upper ends of both pieces terminate in a horizontal square surface. A metal or plastic strip identified generally at 20 has a horizontal section 22 terminating at opposite ends in vertically downward clamps 24 each of which engages securely in friction tight engagement a corresponding one of pieces 12 and 14 at the top end thereof. Each clamp is wrapped around the corresponding top end in such manner as to engage three and only three of the four sides, the exposed sides 26 of both top ends facing each other.

In the modification of FIG. 6, the clamps take the form of hollow cylinders 28 having a rectangular cross section and a bottom open end into which a correspond- 3,316,794 Patented May 2, 1967 ing top end of a corresponding wood piece is moulded whereby each cylinder engages all four sides of the top end.

FIG. 5 shows my pins 10 inserted in various positions in upper and middle blocks 32 and 34 of plastic foam which are secured to each other and to a lower block 36. Note that in all cases, the wooden members of the pins are fully inserted into the foam.

The pins can be made of three different sizes, all three sizes are used in foam and straddle in metal or wood easels. In all cases the flowers and/ or floral arrangements can be held securely in place by the pins. The tapered points of the pins assist in holding same securely in position whereby accidental dislodgement cannot occur.

While I have described my invention with particular reference to the drawings, my protection is to be limited only by the terms of the claims which follow.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A pin comprising: first and second generally parallel, elongated, substantially vertical members, the lower end of each member being pointed, said members having a substantially square-shaped, cross-section configuration, the top end of each member terminating in a generally horizontal, substantially square-shaped surface; and

an elongated strip having a substantially horizontal portion extending between said members and covering said top ends thereof, each extremity of said portion terminating in a vertically downwardly extending clamp frictionally engaging the three sides of the top end of the corresponding member remote from said other member,

the point of each member having three vertical sides with the side thereof most remote from the other of said members being tapered, whereby said tapered sides converge in the direction away from said top ends.

2. A pin as set forth in claim 1, wherein said strip is constructed of bendable material.

3. A pin as set forth in claim 1, wherein said strip is constructed of metal.

4. A pin as set forth in claim I, wherein said strip is constructed of plastic.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,354,737 10/1920 Frisk -13 2,418,539 4/1947 Anderson 85-49 3,241,797 3/1966 ,Anderson 8549 CARL W. TOMLIN, Primary Examiner. THOMAS P. CALLAGHAN, Examiner. R. S. BRITTS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A PIN COMPRISING: FIRST AND SECOND GENERALLY PARALLEL, ELONGATED, SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL MEMBERS, THE LOWER END OF EACH MEMBER BEING POINTED, SAID MEMBERS HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY SQUARE-SHAPED, CROSS-SECTION CONFIGURATION, THE TOP END OF EACH MEMBER TERMINATING IN A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL, SUBSTANTIALLY SQUARE-SHAPED SURFACE; AND AN ELONGATED STRIP HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL PORTION EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID MEMBERS AND COVERING SAID TOP ENDS THEREOF, EACH EXTREMITY OF SAID PORTION TERMINATING IN A VERTICALLY DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING CLAMP FRICTIONALLY ENGAGING THE THREE SIDES OF THE TOP END OF THE CORRESPONDING MEMBER REMOTE FROM SAID OTHER MEMBER, THE POINT OF EACH MEMBER HAVING THREE VERTICAL SIDES WITH THE SIDE THEREOF MOST REMOTE FROM THE OTHER OF SAID MEMBERS BEING TAPERED, WHEREBY SAID TAPERED SIDES CONVERGE IN THE DIRECTION AWAY FROM SAID TOP ENDS. 